Paint mixing machine



Dec. 20, 1960 L. D. WORDEN PAINT MIXING MACHINE 5 Filed Nov. 26, 1957 l/EN 727/ 7 N Am E 17. WUQUE/V (EW* 02 HTTU/FNE Y United States Patent PAINT MIXING MACHINE Lyle De Worden, Jackson, Mich., assignor to Air Hydraulics, Inc., Jackson, Mich., a corporation of Mich- The invention relates to paint mixing and blending devices and particularly pertains to a multi-station power driven blending cabinet.

Due to the wide variation of paint colors now popular, especially in the automotive field, it has become impractical to stock all the current shades of paint, consequently the use of mixing or blending sets has become widespread. In the use of mixing sets a few base colors are stocked along with a limited number of pigments, which when added to the base colors according to specified ratio will produce any desired shade. Thus, by creating the desired shade of paint by mixing small amounts of pigments with a base color inventories may be reduced yet thousands of paint shades are available. This system of custom mixing is especially advantageous in automobile repair shops where weathering and the many hues of the modern automobile require a different color for practically each job.

Inasmuch as paints of the above type require complete mixing, paint stores, large automobile repair shops and other installations preparing large quantities of paint must use mixing machines capable of handling several containers simultaneously and it is an object of the invention to provide a multi-station power driven mixing cabinet capable of accommodating several sizes of paint containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multistationed power driven mixing device capable of simultaneously -rnixing several paintcontainers whereby individualamixing containers may be engaged or disengaged from the power drive during the operation thereof.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a multi-stationed power driven mixing device having adjustable means for aligning the mixing containers with the drive means, which may be economically manufactured and is concise in size.

Also included in the objects of the invention is to produce a flexible clutch for use with paint mixing machines wherein engagement may be made with a rotating power drive by a mixing paddle clutch upon translating the paddle clutch transversely to the axis of rotation of the power drive.

These and other objects of the invention will be fully apparent upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a paint mixing cabinet employing the embodiments of the invention showing two different sized mixing containers in mixing position,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation of the mixing cabinet illustrating the relationship of various components,

Fig. 3 are plan and elevational views of the clutch member of the mixing paddle,

Fig. 4 are front and end views of the clutch member of the power drive, and

Fig. 5 are plan and elevational views of the eccentric aligning stop used to position the mixing containers within the cabinet.

An embodiment of a mixing cabinet utilizing the con- Patented Dec. 20, 1960 "ice cepts of the invention is shown in Fig. 1 and consists of an open sided cabinet formed of sheet material, a series of spaced, parallel power driven shafts 12 are rotatably journaled within suitable bearing housings in the upper portion of cabinet 10 and extend into the interior thereof. The shafts 12 are provided with pulleys or sheaves 14 at the upper end which are fixed to the shafts and drivingly interconnected by belts 16. A speed reduction gear box 18 is mounted on one end of cabinet 10 and the power output is transmitted to shafts 12 by belt 20. Gear box 18 is driven by an electric motor 22 controlled by switch 24 through a conventional belt and pulley arrangement.

The paint containers 26 are supported within the cabinet 10 in one of two different manners as will be apparent. To support smaller size containers a plurality of shelves 28 are hinged at 30 and provided with depending edges 32 which contact the side of cabinet 10 to maintain the shelf in a horizontal plane. Thus, quart and pint size paint containers may be placed on shelves 28 while the larger gallon sizes are supported directly on the floor 33 of cabinet 10. As shown in Fig. 1, access is provided for the larger containers 26 by pivoting the shelf 28 about hinge 30 upward out of the Way of the container.

Fig. 2 best illustrates the paint mixing paddle and associated apparatus. The paddle consists of mixing blades 34 affixed to a shaft 36 journaled in a cover 38 enclosing the top of container 26 and afiixed thereto. The blades 34 are submerged in the paint to be mixed and upon rotation of shaft 36 eflicient mixing is achieved. To such end an adapter or yoke clutch member 40 is attached to the shaft 36.

The clutch member 40 consists of an elongated body portion 42 from which are formed opposing cars 44. The cars 44 are machined or cast with converging surfaces 46 which engage the torque transmitting elements of the power drive means as will be apparent.

The power driven shafts 12 are provided with a flexible drive member 48, Fig. 4, which is attached to the shafts for rotation therewith. A pivot pin 50 is loosely journaled within the body 52 of drive member 48 and a yoke engaging drive member 54 is formed about pin 50 and will rotate with pin 50. Member 54 may be made of heavy sheet metal and is intimately formed about pin 50 and includes planar portions 56 which, due to their weight, will assume the position shown in the full lines of Fig. 4. The member 54 is capable of being rotated to the dotted line positions of Fig. 4 which is accomplished by pin 50 rotating the body 52.

In use, the power drive motor 22 will be: energized and the shafts 12 and drive members 48 will be rotating. The planar portions 56 will be hanging vertically, as in Figs. 1 and 4. The paint container 26, to be mixed, will be preassembled with cover 38 and blades 34 and the yoke member 40 is engaged with the yoke drive member 54 and planar portions 56 by sliding the container under the power drive member 54 in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation of shaft 12. This type of clutching action is possible due to the construction of the drive member 48. As the yoke clutch member 40 is moved into engagement with the yoke drive member 54 the drive member 54 may pivot upward out of the way of cars 44 upon contact thereof and upon alignment of shafts 12 and 36 the drive member 54 and portions 56 will resume a vertical position. After drive member 54 resumes a vertical position the planar portions 56 will engage the surfaces 46 on ears 44 as shown by the dotted lines of the plan view of Fig. 3 and transmit torque from shaft 12 to shaft 36 and mixer blades 34.

'It must be remembered that during the engagement of yoke clutch member 40 with drive member 48 that member 48 is continuously rotating at a relatively slow speed,

t t. 2,966,868 r approximately 100 r.p.m., and there will be two periods during each revolution of drive member 48, after engagement with yoke 40, that the planar portions may resort to the vertical position, e.g., when the longitudinal axis of the yoke engaging drive member 54 is substantially atright angles to the longitudinal axis of yoke 40. Thus,

there will be a smooth and positive driving connection made between the shafts 12 and 36 upon merely inserting the container into one of the mixing stations of the cabinet 10.

To aid in aligning shafts 12 and 36 a pair of aligning and container holding stops 58 are used at each station for each of the different sized containers accommodated. The stops 58 are located on the surface supporting the containers 26, e.g., on the base of cabinet or on the shelves 28 and consist of a cylindrical washer type body through which an eccentric hole 60 is drilled. Stops 58 are attached to the cabfnet or shelves by a screw or bolt extending through hole 60 and are spaced apart a distance a little less than the container diameter and as the container is inserted in the cabinet until contact is made with the periphery of the two stops 58 limited adjustment of alignment may be achieved due to the eccentric position of hole 60. Thus, initially, when shafts 12 and 36 are coaxial the stops would be rotated until contact with the container 26 is made and then afiixed in position assuring that subsequent containers of the same size placed within the station will be in proper alignment. It may also be pointed out that upon the container rotating, one of the stops 58 will function as a fulcrum to force the container into-engagement with the other stop thereby resisting the container rotation. It will therefore be appreciated that the relationship of the stops 58 to the container is such as to resist-horizontal movement of the container in three perpendicular directions, namely, to the left or right or further into the cabinet as viewed in Fig. 1.

It will, thus, be understood that the invention produces a mixing or blending machine of simplified construction which will accommodate a plurality of different sized containers, the containers may be coupled to or removed from the machine as desired without interrupting the power drive and mixing action of other containers within the machine. The pivoted yoke engaging drive member 54 insures a smooth engagement of the m'xing container with the power means and the alignment of the container is quickly achieved by means of the adjustable stops 58.

Modifications to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, such as mounting several cabinets one above the other using the same power source, may be apparent'to' those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended that the invention be limited only by the substance defined in the following claim.

I claim:

In a mixing machine for use with individual mixing apparatus and containers, said apparatus including containers having rotatably supported mixing blades therein. drivenly associated with a yoke clutch member, a cabinet having an accessible opening, drive shafts journaled in the upper portion of said cabinet, power meansdrivingly connected to said drive shafts, a drive member afiixed to each of said shafts adapted to drivingly engage the yoke clutch member of said mixing apparatus upon insertion of said container in a predetermined position within said cabinet, said drive member including a pivot pin journaled in a body portion and a yoke clutch engaging member fixed to said pivot pin adapted to be temporarily displaced upon interference with said yoke clutch member of said mixing apparatus during insertion of said container within said cabinet, shelves mounted in said cabinet below said drive shafts for support of the containers, said shelves being hinged whereby they may be rotated to a non-use position to accommodate containers and a pair of stop means comprising cylindrical members having eccentric axial bores defined therein atfixed to said cabinet below each of said drive shafts and each of said shelves by fastening means extending through said bore, said stops being located on said shelves and cabinet at equal lateral distances on opposite sides of the axis of said drive shafts and behind said axis with respect to said accessible cabinet opening at a position adapted to engage eachof said containers for axial alignment with said drive shaft and spaced apart a distance slightly less than the diameter of the containe'r'to be accommodated whereby container movement is resisted in three perpendicular horizontal directions and rotation of said container is also resisted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,428,492 Haller Oct. 7, 1947 2,521,384 Marienthal Sept. 5, 1950 2,603,461 Marienthal July 15, 1952 2,802,649 Stockton Apr. 13, 1957 2,838,071 Wood June 10, 1958 ran 

